Lighting
150-320 PAR is a working SPS starting range; raise light slowly and watch tips, color, and polyp extension rather than chasing PAR alone.
SPSIntermediateCare score 6/10
Pocillopora
Pocillopora spp.
Use this Pocillopora profile to compare knobby branches with Birdsnest Coral and Stylophora, plan conservative spacing, and watch for volunteer colonies and shaded-base dieback under high flow.
Compare knobby branches, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Care score
- 6/10
- Placement
- Middle
- PAR range
- 150-320 PAR
- Flow
- High
- Aggression
- Low
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Minimum tank age
- 6 months
- Minimum tank size
- 30 gallons
Care note
This entry has low confidence or is marked for expert review. Treat the ranges as conservative starting points and compare them with your own system.
- Verify taxonomy before species-level SEO or care claims.
Images
Reference Photos
Photos are shown only when a source includes reusable license metadata. Always verify appearance against the coral in your own lighting and flow.
Primary reference: User:Haplochromis
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Brocken Inaglory
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ahmed Abdul Rahman
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranges
Water Parameters
These ranges are approximate starting points from the coral database and should be adjusted to the stability and history of your system.
- Temperature
- 76-80 F / 24.4-26.7 C
- Salinity
- 1.024-1.026
- Alkalinity
- 7.5-9 dKH
- Calcium
- 420-460 ppm
- Magnesium
- 1280-1400 ppm
- Nitrate
- 1-12 ppm
- Phosphate
- 0.02-0.08 ppm
Care
Care Notes
Flow
high varied flow should keep the surface clean without blasting one side of the colony.
Stability
For Pocillopora, check alkalinity, temperature, and nutrient trends before moving the frag; sudden corrections are often more risky than modestly imperfect numbers.
Variability
Pocillopora requirements vary by specimen, aquaculture history, shipping stress, and tank maturity; use these ranges as starting points, not guarantees.
Feeding
Feeding
- Benefits from feeding
- No
- Food types
- fish waste, fine suspended foods
- Frequency
- direct feeding not usually needed
ID
Identification
Key features
- knobby branches
- rounded branch tips
- compact bushy growth
Common colors
- Green
- Pink
- Purple
- Brown
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Pocillopora is often knobbier and bushier than Birdsnest, with less obvious axial corallites than Acropora. For Pocillopora, start with knobby branches, rounded branch tips, and compact bushy growth before checking color. Compare it with Birdsnest Coral and Stylophora by looking at branch shape, corallite texture, growth edge, and where paling starts, especially after polyps or tissue are fully extended. Use growth form, corallite texture, and polyp extension before trusting a trade name because color can shift with light and nutrients.
Placement
Compatibility
Compatibility depends on specimen size, flow, growth, aggression, and spacing. Use these references conservatively and watch for contact over time.
Usually compatible with spacing
Use caution near
Avoid close placement with
Spacing recommendation: keep about 3 inches of clearance, then adjust based on extension and neighboring coral response.
Troubleshooting
Common Problems
Use these as troubleshooting checks, not a diagnosis. Symptoms may point to more than one issue.
Pocillopora volunteer colonies and shaded-base diebackOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- small colonies appear elsewhere or the main base pales in shade
- Pocillopora shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline
- changes are localized rather than a confirmed single-cause condition
Likely causes to check
- brooding reproduction, self-shading, or flow dead spots
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Pocillopora
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Pocillopora alkalinity and temperature trends before changing placement
- inspect shaded bases and branch tips under white light
- adjust light or flow gradually rather than making several corrections at once
Checklist
Common Mistakes
- plan for Pocillopora volunteers before placing it near removable rock
- placing Pocillopora before confirming knobby branches and its spacing needs
- using Pocillopora color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Birdsnest Coral
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Pocillopora looks irritated
- ignoring stable alkalinity when keeping Pocillopora
Compare
Similar Corals
Neighbors
Compatible Corals
These corals are usually compatible with spacing, observation, and stable conditions. This is not a guarantee.
Usually compatible with spacing
Birdsnest Coral
Seriatopora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Stylophora
Stylophora spp.
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Montipora Digitata
Montipora digitata
- Category
- SPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
FAQs
FAQs
Is Pocillopora beginner friendly?
Pocillopora is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Pocillopora be placed?
Start Pocillopora in the middle third with room to adjust up or down. Use 150-320 PAR and high flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Does Pocillopora need coral food or mainly stability?
Pocillopora may use fish waste and fine suspended foods, but the database feeding note is conservative: direct feeding not usually needed. For SPS-style care, stable light, flow, alkalinity, and nutrient trends usually matter more than heavy feeding.
How should I space Pocillopora near LPS or fast-growing corals?
Give Pocillopora about 3 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is Low. Use caution near Acropora and Montipora Capricornis. Avoid close placement with Torch Coral, Elegance Coral, and Chalice Coral. Compatibility is not a guarantee, so check contact points as colonies expand.
What should I check if Pocillopora looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Pocillopora, small colonies appear elsewhere or the main base pales in shade and Pocillopora shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Pocillopora volunteer colonies and shaded-base dieback. Likely causes to check include brooding reproduction, self-shading, or flow dead spots and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Pocillopora. Start with these database checks: check Pocillopora alkalinity and temperature trends before changing placement and inspect shaded bases and branch tips under white light.
What stability matters most for Pocillopora?
For Pocillopora, check alkalinity, temperature, and nutrient trends before moving the frag; sudden corrections are often more risky than modestly imperfect numbers. The database lists 6 months as the minimum tank age and 30 gallons as the minimum tank size. For SPS-style care, avoid sudden corrections and check trends before moving the frag or changing light.
Coral Identifier
Identify Pocillopora.
Compare likely matches.
Use the app to compare photos, lookalikes, and key visual clues when you want a second pass on an ID.
Compare knobby branches, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Photo-based coral IDReference photosLikely matches
